Fox (Stone Cold Fox Trilogy Book 3)

by Max Monroe

  The frustrated tension of her brow lifted, and she gazed down at me in awe.

  One last kiss to her belly and I stood to my feet. “Ready?”

  She stepped up on her tippy-toes and pressed her lips to the corner of my mouth. “I love you, you swoony fucking charmer, you. I’m sorry for my bitchy outburst earlier. I’d like to say it won’t happen again, but that would probably be a lie.”

  I chuckled at that and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Love you too, baby.”

  We walked out of my house and hopped into the truck. And it didn’t take long before we were on the main road, driving through the familiar roads of Cold, Montana.

  The town looked so damn small in comparison to the LA cityscape I’d become accustomed to over the past few months.

  It was cozy and homey, and I knew if I’d miss anything, it would be the way a small town like Cold could make you feel. Welcoming and warm and laid-back, it was the polar opposite of LA.

  Where life sped by at a one-hundred-miles-an-hour pace there, in Cold, the days drifted and the hours waned, and no one appeared to be in a hurry to do anything.

  It was refreshing.

  But after a while, I knew it held the possibility to make some people feel restless.

  June Fox turned June Gatto was a prime example of that. I didn’t want Ivy Stone to be another.

  Cold hadn’t been enough for my mom. She’d wanted more. And apparently, she’d needed more so much she was willing to leave her child behind.

  Despite her efforts, I’d yet to have any contact with my mother since that day Ivy and I had stepped into her office.

  And I didn’t regret it.

  For me, I had all of the closure I needed when I found out she’d written the screenplay for a movie about one of the worst things to ever happen in my life.

  Some people might have thought I was cutting myself short, that I was giving up on the possibility of having a relationship with her, but I knew my limits. And when it came to my mom, I’d more reached them. I’d managed just fine without her for most of my life, and I sure as fuck didn’t need her now.

  But that didn’t mean I couldn’t learn from the lessons she’d taught. When it came to what Ivy wanted to do, I had to be open to the possibility that staying in Cold wasn’t what would make her happy. We’d agreed to head back to LA for now, but ultimately, I hoped we’d compromise on something a little less chaotic.

  After driving through the city and onto the back roads, I turned into Sam’s driveway, and Ivy bounced excitedly in the passenger seat.

  The instant my truck slowed to a stop, Sam’s smiling figure came striding out of the front door. He glowed with excitement as he walked over to the truck and opened Ivy’s door.

  “Ivy girl,” Sam greeted with a big ole grin. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes. You’re practically glowing, sweetheart. God, it’s so good to see you.” He wrapped her up in a warm hug, and I cut the engine and slid out of the driver’s seat.

  When I rounded the truck and met them on the other side, the old man’s kind eyes turned to me.

  He didn’t hold back, also pulling me into a tight hug and patting my back a few times with a strong hand. “Good to see you, son,” he said and I smiled.

  “Good to see you too.”

  “Well, come on inside,” he said and gestured us toward the front door. “I’ve got a pot of chili ready.”

  We followed his lead, and the instant we stepped inside the front door, the delicious aroma of home-cooked chili filled my nose.

  Damn, it’d been a long while since I’d had some of Sam’s famous chili.

  My stomach growled in excitement at the mere thought of it.

  But my eagerness over food turned to concern when I looked over at Ivy to find her eyes wide and lips clenched tightly together. Her throat bobbed harshly as she swallowed a few times.

  And then, quick as a whip, she lifted her hand to her mouth and ran in the direction of the bathroom.

  Oh, fuck.

  Morning sickness and chili were apparently not a good mix.

  “Ivy?” Sam questioned with big eyes, but Ivy was long gone, inside his bathroom down the hall. “Is she okay?” he asked.

  I hesitated underneath his curious stare.

  We hadn’t told him the big news yet.

  Hell, we hadn’t told anyone but Ivy’s parents. They’d been beyond elated when we’d shown them the ultrasound pictures over dinner at their house two weeks ago.

  Helen had hopped up from her seat with tears in her eyes and hugged Ivy so tightly it made me grin from ear to ear. And Dave had immediately followed her lead, hugging both of his girls in his arms as the three of them verbalized their joy through I love yous and congratulations.

  It had been a beautiful moment.

  And I didn’t want to rob Ivy of experiencing that same kind of moment with Sam.

  So, I did my best to brush off his concern.

  “Uh, yeah,” I muttered. “She was feeling a little unwell today. I’ll go check to see if she’s all right.”

  Sam stared back at me with puzzlement in his eyes, but I just turned on my heels and went to check on Ivy. By the time I reached the bathroom door, she was already heaving this morning’s breakfast into the toilet.

  “You okay?” I asked her on a whisper as I stepped inside.

  She nodded but then heaved once more.

  But eventually, she made a miraculous recovery, which I’d learned was common with morning sickness, and hopped back to her feet.

  She stopped at the sink to splash some cold water onto her face and swish the bile out of her mouth, but as quick as it hit her, she was completely over it.

  She reached into her purse and popped a Tic Tac into her mouth. “I think it was just the smell of chili. My stomach wasn’t expecting it.”

  “You going to be okay to stay inside the house?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Well, just let me know if that changes, okay?”

  She nodded again, and we made our way back into the living room.

  Grandpa Sam stood at the mouth of the hallway, his hands crossed over his chest.

  “All right,” he said, and both Ivy and I stopped in front of him. “What’s going on?”

  “What do you mean, Sam?” Ivy asked, and he glanced down at her belly before meeting her eyes again.

  “Glowing like the sun…running to the bathroom to puke… I might be an old man, but I’m still quick as a whip, darlin’,” he said, and Ivy burst into laughter.

  “You’re so ornery sometimes, I swear,” she said through a few giggles. “And just so you know, we were going to tell you, but apparently, you have zero patience.”

  His brow rose up in surprise. “So, it’s true?” he asked and looked back and forth between us. “You’re pregnant?”

  Ivy and I both smiled at each other for a brief moment, and then she broke our gaze to meet Sam’s excited eyes again. “I’m almost four months along,” she said, and her hand instinctually reached up to gently rest on her tiny little belly.

  “Four months along?” he questioned and then clapped his hands. “Well, I’ll be damned! If that ain’t the best news I’ve heard in a long, long time!” He stepped forward and wrapped both of us up in a big ole bear hug. “Congratulations, you two. I couldn’t be any happier about this news.”

  “Well…” Ivy’s smile grew wide and amused. “There’s one more thing, actually…”

  He quirked a brow. “One more thing?”

  “Uh-huh,” she said and nodded. “We’re having twins.”

  “Twins?” His jaw damn near hit the floor. “Two babies?” he asked and held up two fingers in the air.

  “Yep,” I said and placed my hand on Ivy’s belly. “There’s two little babies in there.”

  Sam clapped his hands again. “Well, talk about some good news. I can’t wait to tell Mary. She will be so happy.”

  It was moments like these, hearing Sam, Grace’s gran
dfather, chatter on excitedly about Ivy’s pregnancy that I realized just how far we’d come.

  Life had thrown us some serious punches. Some life-altering obstacles.

  And there were days where it almost felt like too much to handle.

  But life had also given us this.

  These special moments.

  These amazing people.

  This sometimes chaotic and messy, but always beautiful, life together.

  We were blessed.

  Even after all of the pain we’d suffered through. Even though we still had demons of our past that really gave us hell some days. Even despite all of that, we were lucky.

  Wherever we decided to live, I knew I’d miss Cold. Most of all, I’d miss seeing all of the people inside this small town that had shaped my life, but none of them was the center of my world anymore.

  The woman of my dreams and the babies in her belly were.

  I was ready to start my life with Ivy.

  With her by my side, wherever we were, whatever we were doing, I was home.

  Celebrity Weekly

  BREAKING NEWS: Ivy Stone is Pregnant!

  July 20th, 2016

  As of late, Ivy Stone’s life has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, and an inside source has revealed the biggest news yet.

  Buckle up, folks! Because things are about to get insanely surprising!

  Ivy Stone and baby daddy Levi Fox were spotted leaving the back entrance of her OB/GYN’s office, and a top-secret source inside the medical practice revealed that not only is Ivy Stone pregnant, but she is going to have twins!

  Talk about a big surprise!

  There has been no news on the sex of the babies or if Levi Fox and Ivy Stone plan to take the next big step in their relationship and get married, but everyone here at Celebrity Weekly is losing their minds over this amazing news!

  Consider us officially on #StoxBabyWatch!

  July 30th, 2016

  I sighed as I sat on the couch basically twiddling my freaking thumbs and not having a clue what to do with myself. For the last fifteen minutes, I’d been doing this, and still, I had no solution for my restlessness.

  Luckily, my phone pinged with a text message, and I snagged it off the coffee table to find a text from my mom.

  Mom: How are you feeling today, sweetheart?

  I smiled as I typed out a response.

  Me: I’m doing pretty good. Still dealing with some nausea in the morning, but no puking, so that’s a big freaking win in my book.

  Mom: That’s great news. God, I can remember being sick as a dog when I was pregnant with you and Cami. It was miserable for practically my entire pregnancy.

  Me: I didn’t know that.

  Mom: Oh, yeah. Hell had taken up residence in my throat during that pregnancy.

  Me: LOL

  Mom: But it was all worth it in the end. ☺ You know, I had a dream about Camilla last night.

  Me: Really? What happened?

  Mom: We were sitting on my bed just talking about you and your pregnancy. She was excited about the babies and said she thinks you’re going to have girls.

  Simultaneously, my heart warmed and ached as I read the message.

  It was all so bittersweet.

  I was beyond ecstatic about this pregnancy, but I was also sad my sister wasn’t here to meet her nieces or nephews.

  Which I’d decided to wait until the babies were born to find out what we were having. I wasn’t normally the biggest fan of surprises, but for this, I was one hundred percent invested in waiting. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be surprised.

  Maybe, deep down, I wanted this surprise because I knew it wouldn’t end in tragedy.

  No matter if our babies were boys or girls, it would be the surprise of a lifetime.

  With my fingers to my phone, I typed out a message.

  Me: Your dream makes my heart happy and a little sad at the same time. Mostly happy, though.

  Mom: I felt the same way about it when I woke up this morning.

  Me: I just wish my babies could have met their awesome aunt.

  Mom: At least we can tell them about her.

  Me: Yes. ☺ And show them pictures and videos and pretty much anything else I can think of. Even though she’s not here physically, to me, she’ll always be here in spirit. Cami is a part of me. Always and forever.

  Mom: I love everything about this, Ivy. So much.

  Me: Me too, Mom. Me too.

  Mom: Okay, sweetheart, well, your dad and I have some errands to run. I just wanted to check in with you, but I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you, sweetheart.

  Me: Love you too, Mom.

  Smiling to myself, I set my phone down on the coffee table and stood up.

  But when I got to my feet, I realized I had nowhere to go.

  Nowhere to be.

  I was stuck here…inside this freaking house.

  Restlessness back in full force, the familiar tinglings of annoyance started to filter into my veins, and the happiness high from chatting with my mom dropped like a rock.

  God, I just wanted to get out of this house.

  I wanted to breathe in the fresh air.

  I wanted to take a walk with Levi and enjoy the California sun.

  But ever since we’d left the hotel and tried to settle down in my house in Beverly Hills, I’d felt like a prisoner inside of my own home.

  News had broken about my pregnancy, and the media firestorm had only grown.

  They were hungry for every little detail.

  They wanted to know about my pregnancy.

  They wanted photos of my ever-growing belly.

  They wanted to insert themselves as much as they could into our lives.

  I wasn’t new to what life was like when you were in the public eye, and a lot of things I understood and had no issues handling, but this was another level. An intolerable, chaotic, irritating level that made me hesitant to even leave my house.

  Levi had added another security guy to our team, bringing the ridiculous total to five, but it just didn’t matter.

  We were in the Hollywood stronghold, where paparazzi were everywhere, waiting and watching in the wings, and it was damn near impossible to do anything without them on our asses, shoving their lenses in our faces and shouting intrusive questions about our lives.

  Once we’d gotten home from our trip to Cold a few weeks ago, I thought moving back in to my house would be a step in the right direction. I thought it would be good for me to be surrounded by memories of Cami. And I thought we’d find peace being able to live out of a closet versus a suitcase, but my assumptions had been entirely incorrect on the latter.

  I paced the hardwood floor of my entryway before turning in the opposite direction and heading out onto the back terrace. The pool shimmered and shone and looked so inviting, but nearly five months along with twins and I was starting to feel too damn pregnant to float around in the water like a beached whale.

  I sat down on the edge of the pool and dangled my bare feet in the warm water. Leaning back on my elbows, I shut my eyes and let the sun wash over my face.

  It was in these moments of rest that I realized just how tired I really was.

  I’d spent the earlier part of the day chatting with my agent, Jason, about a script he’d sent over. It was a thriller about a CIA agent who goes rogue because she’s been framed for a murder she didn’t commit.

  It had intrigued me from the start, and it was the first time since my sister had passed that I was actually considering taking on a new project.

  And if the director could wait to shoot it until next year, I’d most likely be the actress playing the lead role.

  It was truly ironic how a movie I didn’t even want to see released had essentially taken my career to a point where I was in high demand for dozens of roles. Directors didn’t even ask for me to audition.

  Cold was well down its path toward its big debut to the public. The studio had even started revealing it to movie critics an
d the like, and the overwhelming opinion was that it would be one of the best movies of the year.

  I both loved and hated it.

  I was over the moon that I’d done Grace justice. That all of the hard work and struggle I’d gone through to bring her to life on screen hadn’t been for naught.

  But I still despised that a movie that had ended in my sister’s death was going to be shown to the world, and I didn’t have a fucking say in the matter.

  The terrace door opened and shut, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Levi walking toward me. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Just trying to get some fresh air,” I said and squinted up at him. “How was your meeting with Hugo?”

  A couple of weeks ago, Hugo Roman had contacted Levi directly about a cop drama he was directing that he wanted Levi’s expertise on.

  Levi had been shocked to the say the least, but eventually, he’d agreed to a meeting.

  “It went really well.” He smiled, slipped off his shoes and socks and rolled up the legs of his jeans before sitting down beside me and placing his feet in the water. “We talked about the script, and I didn’t know this, but Robert De Niro has been cast to play the police chief.”

  “Hot damn, De Niro?” I asked and grinned. “Sounds like you’re about to go all Hollywood, Mr. Fox.”

  “I’m not going all Hollywood, smartass.” He reached into the pool and flicked a few drops of water in my direction, and I laughed. “But I think, in terms of this film, there’s definitely something I can bring to the table. So, I’ll probably do it. Plus, Hugo is adamant. Apparently, I made an impression on him when I was on set for Cold.”

  “Well, you certainly made an impression on me when you were there,” I said and smiled over at him. “I mean, at first, I pretty much hated you. But now? Look at me. I’m all knocked up with your babies. You certainly have a way of leaving your mark.”